Coin controlled mechanism for vending machines



Nov. 26, 1940. H. MORIN COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed July 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Lou/.5 Mam/v ATTORNE L. H. MORIN Nov. 26, 1940.

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed July 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR lieu/5 h. Mom/v M- ATTORNE L. H. MORIN Nov. 26, 1940.

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES :s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 22, 1936 INVENTOR Lou/s H MORl/V ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 26, i940 -ATENT OFFiCE COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Louis H. Morin, Bronx, N. Y., assignor to The Coca-Cola Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application July 22, 1936, Serial No. 91,836

1 Claim. (01. 194-85 This invention relates to vending machines and particularly to the mechanism employed for controlling the: coin operation of machines of this kind to render such machines substantially foolproof inoperation; and the object of the invention is toprovide a mechanism of the class described employing'a coin controlled coupling for placing the crank or'manually actuatedmember in operative engagement with the shaft or other member to be driven; a further object being to provide a coupling device involving an intermittently rotated disk having a plurality of circumferentially spaced sockets in which a coin is adapted to pass, and with pawls adjacent said sockets adapted when in operative position to retain said disk against rotation in one direction and an oscillatory coupling segment for engaging the coin to feed said disk intermittently; ,a further object being to provide means involving a plurality of control elementsfor rejecting and returning improper coins or slugs introduced into the machine, one of said elements being in operative engagement with an empty control device to eject or return a proper coin when the machine is empty o-f the articles to be dispensed thereby; a further object being to provide means on the crank orrnanually actuated shaft of the mechanism for limiting the. movement of said crank in two directions; a still further object being to provide meansin direct operative engagement with the crank shaft for cushioning the movement of said shaft in both directions so as to render the operation thereof substantially noiseless; and with these and other objects in View, the invention consists in a mechanism or apparatus of the class and for the purpose specified, which is-simple in construction, efficient in use, and which is constructed'as hereinafter dethe mechanism substantially on the broken line 2-2of Fig.3. a

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2

showing parts of the construction broken away.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2; and, Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2,

with parts of the construction broken away.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have diagrammatically illustrated at H) the upper end portion of a cabinet or frame of a vending machine, particularly designed to vend bottles Hthrough an opening formed in the top of the cabinet at the place designated at 12. Supported upon the top of the cabinet is abase casing or housing I 3 upon which the case Id of the coin controlled mechanism is mounted.

The case It includes a removable cover l controlledthrough a key lock Hi to gain access to the interior of the case for the removal of coins from thecoin receiving receptacle H in said case or for the purpose of making repairs or alterations. At I8, I have shown the coin admission opening, forming part of a coin jumper box I 9, which controls transmission of a coin into and through a coin guidingtrack or housing suitably supported in the interior of the case M and having a coin admission track 2| and a coin discharge track 22; the-latter opening'into a return trough or receptacle 23 formed in the cover I5; At 24, I have shown a window or opening arranged in the coverand in conjunction with which a signal fiag 25 having the word Empty thereon is adapted to operate.

a The bottles are supported and operated in the cabinet I0 by means of a suitable conveyor represented diagrammatically by the dotted lines 26 in Fig. 1 of the drawings and which is more fully shownand described in a companion application Serial No. 91,837, filed July 22,1936, allowed September 15, 1938. This conveyor is intermittently rotated through a tubular drive shaft 21 manually actuated througha crank shaft 28 mounted in one side wall of the case Ill as clearly represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the shaft having an extending crank arm 29 with a knob or finger inoperative for any reason, Secured to the shaft 2B is a pinion gear 4| in connection with which a gear segment 42 operates, the latter bie ingpivoted to the cylinder frame 43 as seen at 44." The frame 43 is arranged upon the shaft28, and supported in the case M, and includes a piston cylinder 45 in which a piston 46 is adapted to operate. A connecting rod is shownat 5.1 for coupling the piston 45 with the projectihg'arm' 4-8 ofthe gear segment 42 so that the rotation of the shaft i 28 may be transmitted to said piston, the latter acting as a check to control the rotation of the shaft by the crank 29 in both directions.

The piston 45 is checked inits movement in one direction by a coil spring 19 seating upon the pisto and an adjustment nut 50, the latter being employed to control the spring tension, whereas the movement of the piston in the opposite direction is controlled by a restricted dis charge orifice 5! in the cylinder, restricting'the discharge of the air therefromto produce a submounted in the end of the cylinder.

stantial dash-pot action. Air is admitted into the cylinder through a check valve 5la supported in connection with a plug or head 52 The plug or head 52 has an annular groove 53 in conjunction with the lock element lfia of the key lock mechanism It operates, to retain the cover l5 in position clearly seen in Fig.5 of the drawings. The beveledpinion 38 has an oif set stop ar'm' 38'awhich' limits the rotary movement of the shaft 28 in one direction, whereas the drive lever 39 has a similar offset stop arm 39a which limits the rotary movement of the shaft 28 in the opposite direction. The crank 29 is free to swing through an arc of 180, during which operation, the drive segment 35 is rotated through an arc of 90,

The segment 35 includes an upwardly extending semi-circular cam portion 54 which cooprates with a coin check lever 55 pivoted to the housing 20 as clearly seen in Fig. 2'of the'drawings and having a projecting tongue or finger 56 extending'throughthe housing and arranged in position to check the transmission of a coin throughtheidischarg'e track22a,'for' admission into the coupling element as will be clearly seen upon a consideration of Fig. 3 of the drawings, it'being apparent that as cam portion 54 moves with segment 35 upon actuation of the device, said cam'causes check-lever 55 to move into a position approximating the vertical, finger 55 thereof then closing the coin tract so as to preclude introduction of further money into the coupling assembly until such time as such has been returned to an initial position where such reception is contemplated. Detachably secured to the segment 35 is a coin engaging block or coupling element 51 which is adapted to engage a coin dropped into position in the coupling device as indicated at 59 to cause thedisk 33 and the ring 33 to be rotated and to correspondingly rotate the shaft 27.

The ring 33 is provided with four equally and circ urn terentially spaced coin receiving hoppers 59 into and through which coins are adapted to pass from the discharge track 22a when one of said hoppers is disposed in registering alinement therewith. The disk 33 is also provided with apertures 60 in registering alinement with the hoppers 59 to permit the coins to drop into engagement with the disk 33 and onto the upper surface of the transverse partition wall 3! of the case. One end ofeach of the apertures 60 is enlarged as indicated at 6! and these enlarged portions open outwardly through the peripheral edge of the disk 33 as may be seen in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings." "Pivotally mounted on pins 52 supported in the disks 33, 36 are coin engaging pawls 63, one end 34 of which extends into the aperture 6i to'engage the coin 58 and also to be engagedby a spring pressed plunger which serves to normally project the other end 56 of the pawloutwardlysothat when the pawl is in the position shown at the right of Fig. 6 of the drawings, the pawl will engage a stop block 6? on the case to prevent backward rotationof the coupling' device; Whereas, when the'segment 35 1s rotated, the block 51 moves the'coin 58' in the direction of rotation and draws the end portion 63 of the pawl'inwardly in the operation of rotating the coupling device and movingthe coin including the pawl 63 engaging the same",' I

during which operation, one of the bottles II will be advanced'and projected through the cabinet ID by the rotation of the shaft 2! and the endless conveyor and feed 26 driven thereby. A projected bottle is indicatedat Ila in Fig. l of the drawings.

In this connection, it will be understood that each quarter portion or area of the periphery of I After'the first cycle of operation, above dee scribed, the coin 53 remains in its supported position upon the partition wall 3 I, but. in the next cycle of operation, the coin will drop into the pan or receptacle [1 through an elongated slot or opening 3M formed in the wall 3| as will be clearly seen upon a consideration of Fig. 6 of the drawings. This operation or movement of the coin is assisted by the engagemerit of coin with a cam or beveled surface 35aof the segment 35, as will be seen in the side elevation 4 of said segment as represented'in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The contour of the pan or coin receiving tray I! will be understoodupon a consideration of Figs. 2, 3, 5 and6 of the drawings. If a coin is not disposed in the hopper 59 and aperture 53, thesegment 35 will be free to oscillate back and forth within and between the disks 33 and 35 without transmission of any rotary movement thereto or to the shaft 21.

Several means are provided to'control and regulate the transmission of a proper coin into and through the mechanism of the machine, for example, the jumper box I9, which is old in the art and controls the transmission of the coin from the slot or admission opening l8 into the guide track or housing 20', orthe channels or tracks 2 l,

22, 22:; thereof. A triangular magnet 58 is arranged centrally of the housing 23 and is exposed to the tracks or channels 22 to draw a .bottle II when in position in the cabinet.

magnetically influenced coin from the track 2| downwardly into the track 22. The checklever 55 forms another control as previously described. A coin return lever 69 pivoted to the housing 20 as seen at 10, constitutes another control in the form of a Weighted member which will swing on itspivot when engaged by a coin of the proper weight to permit transmission into the discharge track or channel 22a, but, on the other hand, will guide a light coin into the track 'or discharge channel 22. In connection with the lever 55, it will be understood that when the segment 35 is in operation, another coin is not permitted to enter the track 22a.

I have also provided means to prevent the admission of a coin into the track 22a when the machine or cabinet is empty, or, in other words, does not have a bottle I I in position to be vended. This control consists of a lever 1| pivotally supported in the cabinet l0 as indicated at 12 and provided with an upwardly extending cam portion 13 adapted to be normally depressed by a The other end 14 of the lever is weighted to move the end 13 into raised position when a bottle does not prevail in the position represented at Hb, in Fig. 1, so that a rod 15 coupled with the end 14 of the lever will be held down so that the end 15a of said rod, note Fig. 3, will hold the lever 69 in its downwardly extended position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to prevent the coin from entering the discharge 22a. The oifset 150, on the rod 15 is shown in its raised position in Fig. 3, illustrating the ability of the lever to swing freely into the position shown in dotted lines in said figure in the normal operation of the machine. Coupled with the upper end of the rod I 5 which extends upwardly through the shaft 21 is a radially extending arm 16 having a cam portion I1 adapted to register with a spring pressed pin 18 supported in a suitable bearing 19 on the housing 20. With this construction, when the rod 15 moves downwardly, the cam 11 operates to move the pin 18 against the tension of the spring 80 thereon to project the pin into the coin slot at 8| to cause a coin to drop through the jumper box I9 directly into the return trough 23. On the bearing 19 is a projecting arm 82, to which is pivoted, as seen at 83, the flag element 25 which forms part or one end of a lever, the other end of which is coupled with the pin 18 and is moved therewith to move the flag 25 from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 into the dotted line position of said figure, or into registering alinement with the panel or window 24 so that the word Empty arranged on the flag 25. note Fig. 2, will be visible through the window 24. When the rod 15 is in raised position, the flag 25 assumes its full line position shown in Fig. 4, and when in lowered position, the flag assumes the dotted line position.

The operation of the machine wil be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following brief description. The crank 29 will normally assume a rearwarclly extending position at the left of the machine as seen in Fig. 4. If a proper coin is now inserted into the aperture I8 and passes downwardly through the tracks or slots 2|, 22a, and drops into the hopper 59 andaperture 60 in registering alinement therewith, the crank 29 may then be rotated forwardly, in which operation, the block 51 will engage the coin 58, the latter completing the coupling between the segment 35 and the disks 33, 36. The beveled pinion 38, engaging the gear segment 31, will cause the disks 33, 36 to be rotated, and the-shaft 27 correspondingly rotated to discharge a bottle from the cabinet as previously stated. In this operation, the gear segment 42 will be rotated through the pinion 4| and the piston 46 will bedrawn inwardly in the cylinder 45 in the. manner illustrated in Fig, 5. The forward rotary motion of the crank I 23 is checked by the spring 49. When the crank 29 is released by the operator, the spring 49 will cause the same to return to normal position, which operation is checkedby the dash-pot action of the piston in the cylinder as previously described. Thus, both operations of the crank are substantially cushioned to render the crank operation noiseless as well as to eliminate undue stress or strain thereon. The return movement of the crank 29 will also cause the segment 35 to be moved into its normal position and likewise return element 5'! in position to engage the next coin introduced into the machine.

During the second cycle of operation of dispensing a bottle, the first coin introduced into the machine will be discharged through the aperture 3Ia into the receiving pan or tray II. This operation will continue until all of the bottles have been disposed from the machine, and by proper replacement of the bottles in the cabinet II), this operation will continue indefinitely. The coins are removed from the tray I1 by an authorized agent having a key IBbfor actuating the lock I 6 which controls the release of the cover plate l5.

While I have shown my improved coin mechanism as applied, diagrammatically, to a particular type of merchandise or storage cabinet of merchandise in the form of bottles, this mechanism is applicable for use in conjunction with other kinds and classes of vending machines or articles of merchandise to be vended. The distinctive features of the present invention reside in the simple and substantially fool-proof coupling device employed for operatively uniting the driven member 35 with the combined member 3336 to be driven; the various controls for the coin track or channel for ejecting improper coins or elements introduced into the machine; the cushion control of the operating crank and the simple and positive mechanism for actuating the same; the strong and durable structure of the several operative parts and the means employed to couple the crank shaft with the parts to be operated to eliminate breakage through excessive stress and strains, as well as the other features herein set forth. Various changes in the general design and arrangement of the respective parts of the coin controlled mechanism may be made to suit various adaptations and uses thereof in vending merchandise of various kinds and classes.

By providing the shaft 21' with the square or angular end 21a, 1 provide means for quickly and easily assembling and disassembling the coin controlled mechanism with the cabinet of the machine without disturbing any of the mechanisms of the cabinet. In this way, the coin mechanism may be replaced from time to time should the same require repair or alteration, it being understood that new or repair units may be replaced without interfering with the continued operation of the cabinet. This interchanging of the coin mechanism units may be performed as a matter of service in order to check these mechanisms and to maintain the same in proper operative condition at all times, and especiallyfronjithej standpoint of cleaning the same.

Havin fully described my invention, what I claimfas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

In a coin controlled mechanism for vending machines, a manually actuated drive shaft, a driven shaft, a coupling device for joining said J shafts together to cause-the driven shaftto be the drive shaft, a disk arranged in juxtaposition to said segment and. united with said driven shaft, means for supporting a coin in said disk in position to be engaged by said segment to cause said disk to be'rotated in the operation of said segmentto drive said driven shaft, a pawl pivotafly supported in connection With said disk in position to register with and engage a coin supported therein, and astop block co-acting with said pawl so that 'whensame is in a pre- J determined position the disk is retained against rotation in one direction.

LOUIS H. MORIN. 

